Soufflés, Skype and Sherlock Holmes

Soufflé Girl

"It's smaller on the outside."

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The daffodil sunshine illuminated the terrible walls and bounced off of the humming fridge the next morning. Clara yawned in delight as she remembered the conversation between the mysterious Sherlock Holmes last night. Was it bad that social networking was suddenly the most exciting thing in her life? Clara sat up, lying back on the wall and grabbing her laptop off the night stand. She tapped his name into Google, twisting her mouth as she started scrolling. "Hmmm," she murmured. "You have been busy, haven't you Mister Holmes?" Countless articles detailed a consulting detective putting the police to shame. The man really was a total screaming genius.

Clara heaved herself out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom in her nighty. She turned the tap but a loud grumble resonated and a splatter of rusty water decorated the sink. She frowned and went to check the kitchen tap. The pipes clanged underneath the cabinet and the spout shuddered. Strange. It had worked yesterday. It was early but Clara wandered to Mrs Hudson's door anyway. She squirmed on the doorstep in her dressing gown and rapped on the door sharply. The corridor was freezing. There wasn't any response so Clara ducked around to the shop. Mrs Hudson was bustling between the shelves, picking at her lip as she admired jam jars. "Um, excuse me, Mrs Hudson?" Clara interrupted politely, smiling briefly.

The landlady jumped in surprise, her hands dithering. "Oh Clara, you gave me a fright! What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry but, I tried the taps this morning and no water came out," Clara said, hugging her arms around her. She felt awkward being in her pajamas.

"No water? That's strange," Mrs Hudson replied, "I'll have to come round and check - oh, hello John!"

A sandy haired man wearing a dark jacket and worn out jeans had wandered into the shop. He was shorter than average and seemed pleased to see Mrs Hudson. "Morning Mrs Hudson, I'm going to the shops and just wondered if you wanted anything?" He gave Clara a polite smile.
"John, this is Clara Oswald, she just moved into 221C, downstairs from you," Mrs Hudson said brightly. "Clara this is John, he's a doctor, you know?"

"Hi," Clara greeted, smiling sheepishly.

"Hello."

She couldn't help but notice how he eyed her attire with a confused frown. Clara blushed. "Water wasn't working this morning, I came to ask Mrs Hudson about it."

"Oh, of course. I can take a look at it, if you'd like?" He offered.

Clara almost sighed with relief. "Really? I wouldn't want to interrupt your shopping."

"Don't worry about it, I've got all day anyway. 221C was it?"

Clara grinned. "Yeah, follow me."

In the small apartment, John tried to make sense of the plumbing system. He had a small toolkit from Mrs Hudson's flat arrayed on the floor. Clara looked over his shoulder, wondering if she'd ever have a shower before Christmas. "I think I just need to..." He used a spanner to twist a knob. Water burbled out of the tap before bursting into a steady stream. Clara clapped her hands together. "Good man!" She exclaimed, patting her handy neighbour on the shoulder.

"No trouble really," John said humbly, though he had a smug smile on his face. "I'll be off to the shops, see you later."

"Okay, thank-you, John. Maybe next time, eh?" Clara smiled at him one last time before rushing back into the bathroom. Steam was already fogging up the glass. John was nice, though Clara doubted they would progress far from polite neighbours. She wondered how long he'd lived here. Maybe he would know about any jobs going around. Maybe he had children she could nanny for! Clara shook her head. She showered and dressed, slipping into a simple dress and cardigan. Her phone blipped from the table. She picked it up as she stuffed her house keys into her handbag. "Hello?" She answered, wedging the device between her cheek and shoulder as she locked the door.